“It appears Netanyahu played Kushner like a fiddle, sending him to Ramallah with a laundry list of demands that he knew Abbas would reject, further delaying the start of any ostensible peace negotiations by instigating a diplomatic crisis he could then blame on Palestinian intransigence,” writes Jonah Shepp.

“If the Trump administration is looking to the Arabs for a shortcut on the Palestinian issue — or thinks Israel can establish closer relations with the Arabs without addressing that issue — it is likely to be disappointed,” writes Philip Gordon.

Gaza

“Abbas must find a way to show Trump that the Palestinians can contribute something significant to his regional efforts. The one thing he can do that no other Arab agent can is to take on Hamas,” writes Mitchell Plitnick.

“The poor living conditions and security situation of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip could further deteriorate if Palesinian President Mahmoud Abbas declares Gaza a ‘rebel district,'” writes Ahmed el-Komi.

Occupation/Human rights

What motivates and enables the Israeli government to continue settlement expansion in the West Bank? What are the implications for the future of peace and Israel’s long-term democratic survival? The Middle East Institute, New Israel Fund, Foundation for Middle East Peace, and Americans for Peace Now hosted a conversation with Israeli attorney Talia Sasson, president of the New Israel Fund.

The Israeli army records a surge in number of clashes between Jewish and Palestinian rioters in Yitzhar, with both sides pitted against troops; reservists explain their dilemma; ‘We never learn how to deal with a Jewish teen throwing stones so by standing there we give them legitimacy’; residents claim clashes start from Palestinian arson attacks.